Geometric effects in cooperative light scattering in emitter arrays (BORGHM2_U26EMP)

Quantum-optical light scatterers form fundamental building blocks for optical quantum devises. At the same time, measurements of scattered light provide a powerful means of insight into the quantum properties of systems ranging from individual atoms [1] to molecules in chemical contexts [2]. Atomic arrays provide a pristine, many-body model system where the coupling between light and matter is enhanced by cooperative effects resulting from light-mediated interactions [3], such that, e.g., a sub-wavelength array may behave as a single “superatom” [4], modern laboratory technology, including optical lattices as well as optical tweezer arrays open the prospect of manipulating the geometric arrangement of the atoms.

Similar light-mediated interactions are fundamental, e.g., for energy-transfer processes in molecules and for the investigation of chemical systems using spectroscopic and quantum-optical approaches. In these systems, the interacting dipoles may have complex geometric arrangements, such as in organic molecules and nano-rings [5]. In these cases, the transition dipole elements of the emitters also need not be aligned, meaning that the anisotropic nature of the interactions become crucially important.

In this MSc by Research project, we will use numerical simulations in master-equation formalisms to quantify the effects of the geometric arrangements of quantum emitters. We will highlight the impact of the anisotropy of the interaction on properties of the scattered ligh